No beef with Boston
April 28, 2015David Griffin: “Highly unlikely” Kevin Love returns for playoffs
April 28, 2015The week of the 2015 NFL Draft has finally arrived. The Browns will be very active in the draft with ten total selections to play with. The team has plenty of needs to address after going 7-9 last season. These ten selections should provide a lot of opportunities for the Browns to fill these holes with young talent. As seen by last year’s Browns draft class, the team can find players to help their team in almost every round. In my opinion, the Browns biggest weaknesses on the team are: Quarterback, wide receiver, offensive line, tight end, defensive line, and edge rusher. So in this feature, I will highlight the possible prospects the Browns could select either in the early rounds or later in the draft to fortify these weaker positions.
Quarterback
Early Round Options
Mariota is one of the two top tier quarterbacks in the draft along with Jameis Winston. He has the rare athletic ability along with the potential to be a franchise-level quarterback. He has good accuracy and intelligence to pair with his athleticism. To grab him in the first round, the Browns would likely have to trade up high, probably to the second pick.
Hundley is another athletic quarterback with the potential to be a starting caliber player. He has good vision of the field, along with solid accuracy and arm strength to complete every NFL throw. His big issues are his pocket presence and consistency with his technique. The range for the Browns to select Hundley is probably around the end of the second round to the top of the third round.
Late Round Options
Brandon Bridge, South Alabama
Bridge has great size and athletic ability that makes him very intriguing. He possesses a huge arm and the physical traits of an NFL quarterback. He is still very raw in regards to running through his progressions, throwing with accuracy and being technically sound. He is a player the Browns can grab somewhere in the fifth, sixth or seventh round.
Bryan Bennett, Southeastern Louisiana
Bennett has good athletic ability paired with a pretty good arm. He has the mobility to make things happen with his legs and the arm strength to zip passes through tight windows and to make any NFL throw. Bennett is a slight player with inconsistent accuracy and technique. He is a player the Browns could target in the sixth or seventh round.
Wide Receiver
Early Round Options
Parker is a tall, athletic receiver with incredible jump ball abilities. He has great hands with a huge catch radius to give his quarterback a huge target to throw to. He does not have great strength and has some injury concerns after suffering multiple injuries during his college career. Parker could be there at the 12th pick for the Browns.
Strong is a big, physical receiver with the ability to be a big time redzone threat. He can go up and use his strong hands to rip passes out of the air at their highest point and through heavy contact. Strong does not have great speed and struggles to get consistent separation. He will most likely be an option for the Browns at No. 19 or at their second round pick if he drops.
Late Round Options
Stefon Diggs, Maryland
Diggs is a very good athlete with excellent playmaking ability. He is dangerous with the ball and make a short catch into a big play down field because of his elusiveness and speed to make defenders miss. He does not have great size and strength and his technique in route running is something he must work on. Diggs could be an option for the Browns in fourth or fifth round.
Antwan Goodley, Baylor
Goodley is an explosive speed receiver who can take the top of the defense. He is a true homerun threat with the ability to run past defenders in the open field. He does not have great route running ability and must improve his overall technique as a receiver. Goodley is a player the Browns could target in the fifth, sixth, or seventh round.
Offensive Line
Early Round Options
Erving has great versatility to play pretty much every position on the offensive line. His athletic ability and good hands make him a very good pass protector. Erving must refine his technique in order to fully utilize his natural talent. The Browns could look to add Erving with the 19th pick in the first round.
Clemmings has the athletic ability that teams love in a left tackle prospect. He has great agility and feet to be a very good pass protector, which is the biggest trait left tackles must possess. He is still very raw and must refine his technique. Clemmings is looking more and more like he could be available in the second round.
Late Round Options
Chaz Green, Florida
Green is a smart player with good pass protection skills. He has very good footwork and hands to stay in front of defenders and control them at the line of scrimmage. Green is not an overly strong player and does always drive defenders back well. Green could be an option for the Browns in the fifth or sixth round.
(RT #75: Chaz Green)
Darryl Baldwin, Ohio State
Baldwin has the size and length that could interest teams late in the draft. He possesses long arms and strong hands to latch on to defenders and keep them away from his body. He can play too upright and his change of direction is not very quick. Baldwin could be a seventh round target for the Browns.
Tight End
Early Round Options
Williams has the prototypical size of a NFL tight end with great ball skills. He has the athleticism and hands to go up high and grab a ball at its highest point. He must improve blocking and some reports have questioned his attitude. Williams will likely be an option in the second round for the Browns.
Heuerman is probably the best blocking tight end in the draft. He also has good athleticism and straight-line speed to be a receiving threat in the middle of the field. He has struggled with injuries and must become a better route runner. Heuerman could be a player the Browns target in the late second or early third round.
Late Round Options
Bell has really good size and athleticism for a tight end. He is a strong player who runs with toughness to break tackles. He is my fifth rated tight end, but he is still very raw as a tight end, so he will most likely go later in the draft. The Browns could target Bell in the fourth or fifth round.
Wes Saxton, South Alabama
Saxton possesses great speed for a 6-foot-3 tight end. He could come and be a huge mismatch on offense because of his athletic ability and size to overmatch defenders. He is raw talent with not much technique and some questionable drops. Saxton could be an option for the Browns in the fifth or sixth round.
Defensive Line
Early Round Options
Shelton is a huge run stuffing defensive tackle who can fill up the inside running lanes of an offense. He has great ability to shed away from blockers and find the ball carrier to bring him down. His biggest question mark is his ability to pressure the quarterback. Shelton will be one of the top nose tackle options for the Browns at 12 if he is still there.
Jordan Phillips, Oklahoma
Phillips has very good athleticism that few defensive tackles possess. He is a powerful player with good size and length to use both power and athleticism to pressure the backfield. His biggest weaknesses are his work ethic, technique and back injury concern. Phillips could be still available for the Browns in the second round.
Late Round Options
Joey Mbu, Houston
Mbu is a big run stuffing defensive tackle, who can stay strong at the point of the attack. He has a strong base with good upper body strength to stay stout against the running game and force runners to go somewhere else. He is not a quick player, so he is limited as a pass rusher. Mbu could be a nose tackle option for the Browns in the fifth or sixth
Louis Trinca-Pasat, Iowa
Trinca-Pasat is least talked about Iowa defensive lineman, but he was the most productive one on the field last season. He is strong for his size and can slip off blocks to get to the ball carrier. His size, length and athleticism will not jump off the page. He could be a defensive end option for the Browns in the sixth or seventh round.
(#90: Louis Trinca-Pasat)
Edge Rusher
Early Round Options
Dupree is a great athlete, making him very difficult to block. He has shown the ability to do multiple roles, including pass rush, play in coverage and set the edge versus the run. He is very raw in pass rushing, lacking a repertoire of moves to get to the quarterback. Dupree will most likely only be an option for the Browns at 12, but he could slip to 19.
Preston Smith, Mississippi State
Smith is power edge rusher with very good size and length. He stays strong at the point of attack against the run and has the power and hands to work his way into the backfield on pass downs. He does not possess great athleticism to run past blockers.
Late Round Options
Frank Clark, Michigan
Clark has good strength and length to stay strong against the run and rip away from blocks to make a play on the ball carrier. He is quick off the snap and has multiple pass rushing moves, including speed to power ability. He is not a fluid athlete and he must answer character questions. Clark will be an option for the Browns in the fourth or fifth round.
Kyle Emanuel, North Dakota State
Emanuel uses a quick first step along with his high intelligence to quickly make a play on the ball. He can rush the passer with his quickness and strong hands, while also using his discipline to keep edge versus the run. He is not a big player and lacks great strength, which could hurt him at the line of scrimmage. The Browns could target him in the fifth or sixth round.
24 Comments
Plenty of top 20 players who can come in and help this team immediately. I just don’t want Farmer to try and be Kevin Costner in “Draft Day” and wheel and deal and that starts with ANY ADDITIONAL HEISMAN TROPHY QBs. Use those two picks and address two major areas of need. As I see it right now that is most assuredly defense starting with DT.
Is that Mariota play really a highlight? Does it really say anything positive about him as a prospect to play QB in the NFL?
Take snap, fake hand off, throw ball to wide open guy (without having to go through any progressions).
Not saying he is or isn’t a legit prospect, mind you. Just pointing out that a lot of the film you see on college players is pretty much worthless. D-linemen running unblocked and crunching a quarterback. Wide receivers running right past some I-AA cornerback. Guards bulldozing some guy who is now hoping to get a job at a marketing firm.
What I don’t want to see: trading a 3rd or 4th rounder to move up a few spots in the 1st or 2nd to “get our guy”, when we can sit pat and still draft some other highly touted guy who addresses one of our many other needs.
I agree this is another strategy this organization has used that hasn’t worked.
all right … let’s get everybody’s blood pumpin’ for the draft.
it’s gonna be a good one …
Well, it is slightly more effective than the last regimes strategy of Whack-A-Mole.
Slightly.
Thought same thing, and look at the Bennett highlight too: zero pass rush (no one within 8 yards?) and his receiver is 5 yards open until he had to slow a little for the pass.
Those are the old colors man!
Length, length, length.
As Hamish said in Braveheart, “some men are longer than others.”
Who’s doing the measuring?
She’s obviously changing clothes into the new . . . shirt? Is that what that is?
It would have been a lot easier (and shorter) to list our strengths 🙂
As long as the announcers don’t say “What, didn’t see that one coming” when the Browns make a pick
I am starting to like the orange top white bottom combo
Well done Joe. Just a couple days to go.
Just wait until you see John Hughes in it.
Well frankly any of those would be refreshing. Us fans are tired of the ones being plugged.
“i’m sorry ma’am … but you are dressed in the old colors. unfortunately , i will not be able to teach you a lesson today. now get on outta here !!” …
LMAO !!
Joe, great stuff. Draft has been an afterthought for me this offseason, but your articles have helped fan the embers of my interest. Thanks for the good work
I’d love to see Shelton and Dupree. Probably won’t happen, but that would be something I’d like to see.
I prefer the no top, white bottom combo.
https://img.pandawhale.com/165651-Wonka-gif–Wait-a-minute-strik-46Su.gif
In defense of Mariota’s tape, though, he works with NFL progressions albeit with half-field reads (http://jameslightfootball.com/2015/04/18/nfl-draft-preview-marcus-mariotas-transition-into-the-nfl/), throws downfield more than Jameis Winston, and fares better against pressure than does Winston (http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/cfb/52722/349/2015s-quarterback-conundrum).
Had the same thought. The reality is this: college football has changed so much that, except in rare instances, it does not prepare its QBs to play in the NFL. As soon as the Browns realize that pretty much any quarterback they bring in is going to need years of training to play, they will succeed at “getting” a franchise quarterback.